The present invention generally relates to a dispensing valve for use in dispensing liquid from liquid containers and, more specifically, a dispensing valve with an improved operating handle.
The invention is especially useful for use with valves intended for dispensing hot fluids, and will be described with reference to this function. However, it will be understood that dispensing valves of the invention may be used in many environments for controlling different types of fluids.
A common and well known type of dispensing valve or faucet used for controlling the dispensing of fluids such as coffee, water and other beverages includes a faucet body with a downwardly-directed outlet in which fluid movement through the faucet body is controlled by an internal valve joined to an upwardly extending stem. The stem may extend out of the body through a bonnet, and movement of the stem may be controlled by a manually-operated cam actuator pivotally joined to the stem and acting against the bonnet.
A problem sometimes encountered with this general class of valves is the possibility of undesired discharge of fluid caused by inadvertent bumping of the dispensing actuator. The seriousness of the inadvertent dispensing depends, of course, on the nature of the fluid and the surrounding environment. For example, if a small child were to jostle a water cooler faucet and inadvertently dispense hot water, the consequences could be quite serious.
With a conventional faucet, the handle may be actuated through the carelessness of a small child or a slight, inadvertent touch to dispense hot water or other liquids, with potentially serious consequences. This is because with the handle of the conventional faucet actuated by leverage, the force point of the lever corresponds to the support point of the lever, and liquid is discharged simply by pushing the handle down.
It is also known to provide dispensing faucets with safety handles, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,144 to Kowalics, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,045 to Moon, the entire disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. While there are safety advantages associated with these handles, difficulties have been encountered in operating handles of these types. For example, it can he physically cumbersome or awkward to actuate such faucets, and then to maintain such faucets in position during dispensing.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,449,144, 8,418,991 and 8,418,992, commonly assigned to The Meyer Company, also disclose dispensing faucets with safety handles. These are also physically cumbersome to actuate, requiring the thumb and index finger to squeeze together to disengage the safety lock, and then twisting the wrist to dispense.
Accordingly, a need continues to exist for an improved safety handle/actuator arrangement for dispensing liquids, which overcomes the above-referenced problems, while retaining advantages of such faucets.